Christmas Traditions and an Easy Gift Recipe

Ask Chef Phyllis:It’s been awhile since I made homemade gifts, such as scented pine cones, zucchini-nut breads, and salted nuts, for Christmas. But I’m really finding that gift-giving has gotten out of hand. It’s frustrating and loses meaning. I’d like a good recipe for salty or spicy-sweet nuts to put in a glass jar that’s pretty and tastes good without a lot of white sugar. Can you help? —Mary Lou Branda from Boca Raton

What makes homemade gifts from the heart so much better? A box of cookies, flavored oil or vinegars, a jar of sweet and spicy nuts are all gifts that make it easy to feel the love. I also appreciate that I get to experience this feeling twice: once in making it, once in giving it. For me, it’s that personal touch. And it makes a magical, joyful moment.

There was a time when only homemade gifts were considered acceptable. A fellow blogger that I admire asked me if I had any ideas for them, and I said I do.

Where I live, pinecones abound. I make either scented pine cones presented in red mesh bags for city friends or peanut butter and sunflower seed pine cones for kids who like to feed birds. No recipe is needed, just some ingenuity.

The favorite gift suggestion I gave to her was for sweet and spicy nuts in a beautiful glass jar. This can be a wide-mouthed Mason jar as long as you decorate it festively. These are healthier than store-bought nuts, since you can choose the sweetener. And, of course, it’s decorative and thoughtful.

Another dazzling gift of joy is homemade, low-sugar preserves because you get to choose the best organic seasonal fruit available. These make a wonderful presentation in vacuum-sealed, pantry-ready, sparkling jewel-cut jars that are made for Christmas giving. A favorite of mine is no-added sugar, three-variety autumn pear preserves with a whole star anise pressed in the top. It looks and tastes amazing! (But that’s another post.)

The best of these homespun gifts is that whoever receives them will love them and remember who made them—and who gave them—for years to come. Now, on to the nuts.

Phyllis Quinn is a chef, food writer, and founder of Udderly Cultured, a class that teaches how to make homemade fresh mozzarella, butter, yogurt, cottage cheese, and other cultured products. Private lessons are available. For a reservation, call Phyllis at 970-221-5556 or email her at [email protected] Rediscover nearly lost cooking methods and get one-of-a-kind recipes in her books The Slow Cook Gourmet and Udderly Cultured: The Art of Milk Fermentation.

Phyllis Quinn

Phyllis Quinn is a chef, food writer, and founder of Udderly Cultured, a class that teaches how to make homemade fresh mozzarella, butter, yogurt, cottage cheese, and other cultured products. Private lessons are available. For a reservation, call Phyllis at 970-221-5556 or email her at [email protected] Rediscover nearly lost cooking methods and get one-of-a-kind recipes in her books <i><a href="https://www.seleneriverpress.com/shop/the-slow-cook-gourmet/">The Slow Cook Gourmet</i></a> and <i><a href="https://www.seleneriverpress.com/shop/udderly-cultured-the-art-of-milk-fermentation/">Udderly Cultured: The Art of Milk Fermentation</i></a>.

Selene River Press is a publishing company specializing in holistic nutrition education. Our philosophy is rooted in the work of Dr. Royal Lee, who showed that vitamin deficiencies, due to processed foods, are responsible for most degenerative disease. From organic farming to food-based vitamins, from raw milk to fermented foods, Dr. Lee set the course for the field of whole food nutrition.